Challenge
Synchrony asked my team to design and produce their 2023 ESG Report using Workiva, a cloud platform for managing data and reporting. The report was just under one hundred pages, full of copy from multiple sources and constantly changing content. We quickly realized that keeping design aligned with evolving content, version changes, and client demands would be complex.
Approach
To get ahead of instability, I decided to build the report design in InDesign first, laying out styles, typographic hierarchy, and layouts that could scale. Then I synced style definitions to Workiva. We held frequent workshops with Workiva instructors, design team members, and internal stakeholders to build a workflow everyone could use. We also created daily routines for “pencils down” sections so style updates could be pulled from Workiva via .icml into our design doc without creating chaos.
Execution
Each day we coordinated closely. Multiple team members reviewed copy changes in Workiva, flagged style or layout issues, then updated InDesign files based on .icml extractions. Because copy updates could shift text boxes and throw off layouts, we built safeguards: consistent style naming, modular layout templates, clearly defined text box links. Remote collaboration was intense—Teams chats, frequent feedback loops, designer-copywriter pairings to speed up review. In the final weeks we pushed hard to polish, refine, and catch every inconsistency.
Outcomes
The final report was delivered on time and praised by senior leadership—CEO, VPs, and many stakeholders—with feedback on how polished, clear, and professional it felt. It successfully translated complex reporting data into visually readable layouts and elevated Synchrony’s ESG narrative. Internally, the project’s workflow improvements became reference for how to handle large report-scale documents with frequent updates. The client experienced fewer surprises in style drift and more confidence in the process.
Next Steps & Insights
This project taught me how valuable early style definition is, especially when content is unstable. Naming consistency, modular templates, and frequent check-ins with stakeholders prevented design drift. I learned that remote teams working on documents like this need both structure and flexibility. Going forward I want to build versioned design systems specifically for such reports, so each update feels seamless. I’d also explore more interactive digital versions of ESG reports to make data more engaging and accessible.